Because the display of a painting in a prestigious museum can increase its value, the loan can be seen as breaking conflict-of-interest and self-dealing rules and a complaint was filed with the IRS and the Michigan attorney general. The director says that all procedures were properly followed, being shown at the museum wouldn’t really affect the value of an Old Master, and, basically, if you can get the long-term loan of an El Greco, why wouldn’t you? – The New York Times
Category: visual
Smithsonian’s National Museum Of African Art Accused Of ‘Culture Of Racism’
A two-page letter sent by former employees and board members to Smithsonian secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III “alleges that more than 10 former or current Black employees have ‘reported or experienced incidents of racial bias, hostile verbal attacks, retaliation, terminations, microaggressions and degrading comments,’ all of which have been ignored by management when raised formally. … The letter’s signatories are calling for the resignation of the NMAfA’s deputy director and chief curator Christine Mullen Kreamer.” – HuffPost
How The Met Museum’s Reopening Will Work
The Fifth Avenue flagship will welcome visitors — only those with masks, and only up to a quarter of the building’s regular capacity — five days a week beginning Aug. 29. The Cloisters will reopen in September. – The New York Times
A Modern Spire For A Restored Notre Dame? Mais Non!
The idea was met with skepticism from numerous architects, conservationists, and academics, and polls showed that the majority of Parisians favored restoring Viollet-le-Duc’s design. (The original spire, built between 1220 and 1230, fell into disrepair and was dismantled in the late 1700s.) – Artnet
2,500-Year-Old Statue Of Atlas To Return To Temple Of Zeus In Sicily
“The statue, eight metres high and built in the 5th century BC, was one of nearly 40 that adorned the ancient building, considered the largest Doric temple ever built, even if it was never completed and now lies in ruins.” – The Guardian
Frieze Cancels Two Art Fairs In London This Fall
“As the pandemic continues to ravage large parts of the world, it is becoming clear that such events may not take place as planned, and on Tuesday, Frieze London and Frieze Masters informed exhibitors that they would not hold their fairs in early October.” – ARTnews
Man Convicted Of Trying To Steal Magna Carta From Salisbury Cathedral
In October 2018, Mark Royden, 47, went equipped with a claw hammer, gloves and safety goggles, tampered with a CCTV camera and set off a fire alarm to cause a distraction before smashing the document’s protective case. – The Guardian
How I Learned To Be An Art Critic
“How did I learn to judge between one work and another? By looking and reading and looking and reading and looking. It is not a matter of mere subjectivity. You acquire the skill to transmit your excitement before a work, feel its pulse, recognize why it comes alive, pinpoint the source of its visual allure.” – Hyperallergic
Architecture’s Existential Crisis
Suddenly, the profession was at a crossroads. Was this a time for quick, targeted, pragmatic responses to a built environment that no longer felt safe, or was this a revolutionary moment, a call to rethink everything? – Washington Post
Why COVID Demands Our Best Design Thinking
You may not think of architects as the problem-solvers we need now. But now that interacting with people in any enclosed space is fraught, they are who you need. Though we have been living in a world ruled by public-health experts, few doctors and scientists can interpret their mandates in three dimensions, or understand the dynamic movement of people (and the hazardous droplets they spew) through a busy airport or sports stadium. – Medium